Appetizer
3523 recipes found
Oven-Fried Hot Wings
Unlike Buffalo wings up north, Atlanta-style hot wings are sharp and salty, with undeniable savoriness (and little or no butter). One whiff of the sharp red hot sauce, unbridled with cayenne flavor and vinegary tang, should instantly make you drool. Serve these oven-fried wings with ranch or blue cheese dressing as a dipping sauce, as they do in Atlanta, along with celery and carrot sticks to help offset the heat. They’re also fun to eat between bites of crispy chicken.
Savory Feta Turnovers
Inspired by the Greek tradition of frying a whole block of feta, these versatile flaky pastries offer a delightful blend of salty, tangy and sweet flavors. The creamy feta and zesty preserved lemon create a harmonious filling that's both comforting and indulgent. With just a handful of ingredients (including handy store-bought puff pastry), these turnovers are a quick and easy starter perfect for dinner parties or a casual weeknight gathering. They may also be enjoyed as a snack or on-the-go meal at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and reheat at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. And for a bite-sized treat, consider turning them into finger food appetizers by using smaller pastry sheets and dividing the filling accordingly.
Cheesy Chile Crisp White Beans
Cheesy bean bakes, a molten staple of pantry cooking, get a fiery glow-up in this easy weeknight recipe. Because different brands of chile crisp and chile paste vary drastically in their heat levels, add your condiments slowly, tasting as you go. When your tongue just starts to tingle but isn’t yet on fire, it might be time to stop. Serve this with tortillas or tortilla chips for scooping, or over rice to catch the gooey mix of beans and melted cheese.
Golden Potato and Greens Soup
This very creamy take on potato-leek soup didn’t set out to be vegan, it just happened along the way. The secret to its luxurious texture is not dairy but rather mashing the potatoes in the soup pot as they soften, which releases their thickening starches, no blender necessary. (That said, you can certainly add cream if desired.) Hearty greens like Swiss chard or kale make the soup more filling, and ground turmeric imparts a wonderful golden color. If you want to freeze some soup, simply leave out the greens and add them when it’s time to reheat.
Caramelized Tomato and Shallot Soup
Fresh tomato soup is a treat best enjoyed with juicy, end-of-season tomatoes, but this versatile recipe is delicious all year long. Both the shallots and tomatoes are caramelized along with tomato paste, which gives the soup deeper flavor. Take your time and let the tomatoes reduce, because the more they caramelize, the more delicious the soup will be. While this recipe does take a little bit of time, it’s mostly hands-off simmering. Make it when the weather turns cool and a big pot of soup simmering on the stove sounds just right.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20241004-SEA-CoquillesStJacques-AmandaSuarez-00_15-05b3dee05a32498b8d0f9defbfd224f7.jpg)
Coquilles Saint-Jacques
This recipe stars sweet, tender sea scallops bathed in a rich mushroom sauce topped with buttery golden breadcrumbs.
Smoky Spiced Eggplant Dip
Any Romanian gathering or celebration will inevitably contain an eggplant dish, the most common ones being salată de vinete (eggplant salad — a charred eggplant dip that’s similar to baba ghanouj but uses mayonnaise instead of tahini) and zacuscă (a charred eggplant and pepper dip, similar to ajvar). This family recipe, adapted from “Pass the Plate” by Carolina Gelen (Clarkson Potter, 2024), falls somewhere between the two: The charred eggplant is sweetened with shallots, brightened with tomatoes and spiced with paprika and cumin (sometimes caraway). It’s not as heavy as the mayonnaise-laced dip and not as labor-intensive as zacuscă, making it a faster, lighter alternative to whip up on any occasion. Get ready for one of the most inviting smells you will experience in the kitchen.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20240826_SEA_Vegetarian-Stuffed-Mushrooms_MorganHuntGlaze_Hero1_74-46ea749a40a24ca7b85c5d2b4d855ed7.jpg)
Creamy Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
These vegetarian stuffed mushrooms tick all the boxes: They have cream cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano for richness, chopped mushroom stems for a meaty bite, and sun-dried tomatoes that bring a touch of sweetness.
Sticky Guava Ribs
These easy, oven-baked ribs are sticky, sweet, spicy and splendidly delicious. The sweet guava paste makes an excellent foundation for the barbeque sauce, resulting in a sauce that’s quick to caramelize and clings to your fingers with every bite. The low and slow cooking technique gives you tender, fall-off-the-bone meat with little to no effort and plenty of rendered fat to baste the ribs before you sauce them up. If you’re feeding a crowd, you can make the ribs ahead of time and broil them before serving. That’ll give you time to prepare a green salad or mango slaw for sides. The extra sauce keeps well in the fridge for two weeks or in the freezer for three months. Stash it away for a rainy day or you can double the amount of ribs for a larger serving -- that’s if you don’t eat them all before your guests arrive.
Little Gem Salad With Tamarind Dressing
While this sweet-and-sour tamarind-date dressing can be made year-round, it feels meant for the abundant produce of summer and early fall. Developed with turmeric in mind — an ingredient many Somalis add to salads — this recipe balances heirloom tomatoes with the tang of tamarind; it offsets the pungent sharpness of onions and radishes with the caramel-like flavor of dates and maple syrup. This colorful Little Gem salad maintains a glossy coat of dressing, but you can opt for heartier vegetables such as brussels sprouts or kale, depending on the time of year. Pair this salad with a bowl of maraq misir (red lentil soup) for a lovely vegan meal, or eat it alongside a plate of white rice and malaay qumbe (coconut fish curry).
Maraq Misir (Red Lentil Soup)
Maraq misir, also known as shurbo cadas, is a hearty red lentil soup found in Somali cuisine. This soup is great year round but is often in heavy rotation during Ramadan, when it makes for a light and nourishing option for breaking one’s fast. Alongside a foundation of quick-cooking red lentils, this soup gets its body from tomatoes, onions and carrots, and deep flavor from a layered blend of spices and fresh cilantro leaves. While many lentil soup variations exist, the warmth of the xawaash spices builds with each sip and makes this a uniquely Somali interpretation. The texture can suit your preference: Serve it as is, with some bite, blend it until smooth and creamy, or opt for a partly blended, half-chunky soup.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__2019__06__20190605-chilled-carrot-soup-dukkah-vicky-wasik-7-ff751e78f38c4668be9b2677aa37d130.jpg)
Chilled Carrot Soup
This chilled carrot soup is smooth and creamy, even though it has no dairy in the soup base. Fresh mint adds a bright herbal note, while a creamy dollop of spiced yogurt finishes it off.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
For a switch-up to the usual wings, use often underutilized ground chicken to make these juicy, tender Buffalo meatballs. Celery, a frequent wing pairing, gives the meat mixture a bit of crunch and freshness. Perfect for subs or party platters, you can make the meatballs ahead of time by wrapping the pan with plastic and placing it in the refrigerator or placing them in an airtight bag and freezing them for up to 3 months (defrost in the refrigerator the day before cooking).
Tomato Carpaccio
Really not much more than a plate of sliced tomatoes, the key to this dish is truly ripe tomatoes, the kind you get at the farmers’ market at summer’s end. It doesn’t matter what color they are, though large red ones are ideal. Use your best extra-virgin oil for the dressing, which also features briny shallots and capers, a whiff of garlic and a touch of anchovy. Finish with a handful of basil leaves.
Grape Jelly Meatballs
The ultimate party meatballs, this super-simple dish comes together in the slow cooker, which also keeps it warm for both transporting and for enjoying at your leisure. Traditionally, these are made with frozen meatballs, but this version calls for making your own, using just about any ground meat you like. Crushed red pepper gives these an additional kick, but if you don’t love a spicy meatball, feel free to pull back on the amount. The flavors mellow and combine in the slow cooker, leaving you with a sweet, smoky meatball that’s moist and rich with flavor. Whether for a potluck, holiday or baby shower, this recipe will definitely leave your guests wanting more.
Old Bay Party Mix
Make this zesty snack mix for your next party, or keep a batch on hand for a pick-me-up. Throughout parts of the Chesapeake Bay, the scent of Old Bay seasoning, a heady combination of paprika, celery, black pepper and other secret herbs and spices, is synonymous with summer and seafood. But Old Bay can be used on so much more than crabs and shrimp, including baked into snacks for a crispy party mix. The mix-ins featured nod to sides you might find alongside blue crabs or clam chowder — potato chips, corn (in the form of corn nuts) and oyster crackers — but feel free to use 8 cups of whatever cereals, crackers, chips and nuts speak to you.
Fried Eggplant
These crispy breaded eggplant rounds make a delicious appetizer served with marinara sauce for dipping. The key to tender, creamy eggplant with a crisp, crunchy coating is slicing the eggplant thinly and salting it to draw out excess moisture before breading. Coated in seasoned panko, the eggplant rounds cook in under 3 minutes, meaning you can fry the whole batch in under 15 minutes and serve the rounds piping hot. If you’re planning ahead, you can also bread the eggplant slices and refrigerate them on a paper towel lined plate for several hours before serving.
Chłodnik Litewski (Chilled Beet Soup)
An ideal dish for peak summer, when hot meals seem unthinkable yet fresh produce is bountiful, chłodnik litewski is perhaps the best-known of the Polish chłodniki (chilled soups). Chłodnik litewski translates to Lithuanian cold soup, and reflects a time when Poland and Lithuania were under the rule of the same dynasty starting in the late 14th century, a period in which Polish cooking was influenced by Lithuanian cuisine and vice versa. It’s certainly the most eye-catching, with a lovely magenta hue that emerges when the roasted beets meet the kefir and sour cream to form the soup’s tangy base. It combines both cooked and raw ingredients — you’ll need to roast some beets and boil some potatoes and eggs — and is best prepared in advance, ready for easy assembly. (For the most vibrant pink color, be sure to refrigerate the soup overnight, as the color deepens with time.) Beets and their greens lend an earthy note, and fresh cucumbers and radishes provide a satisfying crunch. A tangle of fresh herbs and vegetables and a soft-boiled egg on top complete the dish.
Maryland Crab Soup
While the exact origins of Maryland crab soup are unknown, the recipe is rooted in folk tradition, likely learned from Indigenous people, and changed over time depending on what was available and in season. You’ll find different recipes on menus in restaurants and homes throughout the Chesapeake Bay area, but you can usually assume the tomato-based soup is likely to contain corn, beans, peas and tomatoes. Seek out Maryland blue crab meat, prized for its sweetness thanks to the time the crustacean spends swimming in the brackish waters of the bay. While stock always adds a more robust flavor to soups, water will work fine as well for this hearty, vegetable-heavy recipe.
Peel and Eat Shrimp
This quick peel and eat recipe yields plump, juicy, extraflavorful shrimp by gently poaching shell-on shrimp in a combination of beer, butter and spices. Starting the shrimp in the cold poaching liquid allows them to cook gradually and evenly as the liquid heats up. A simple combination of beer, butter, celery salt, cayenne and paprika builds flavor, but feel free to substitute your favorite seafood seasoning to flavor the poaching liquid. By deveining the shrimp, you’ll remove the digestive tract and create an opening along the back, which makes them easier to peel once cooked. Peel and eat the shrimp while they’re still warm, dipping them in drawn butter or cocktail sauce, or cool them down and enjoy them cold, as you would for shrimp cocktail.
Cold Tomato and Kimchi Soba Noodle Soup
When the coolness of gazpacho meets the punchiness of kimchi, magic happens. The result is a cold soup that is alive with freshness and rich with layered flavors that belie its ready-in-minutes preparation. The fruity tang of tomatoes and the mild vegetal sweetness of cucumbers are emboldened by the sour heat of kimchi. The soup serves as the perfect base for nutty soba, a noodle that always performs exceptionally well when served cold. If you don’t have soba, try rice, egg or wheat noodles. The soup could also be consumed noodle-free, served with crusty bread for a simple and quick meal that deeply satiates. If you like, top with extra kimchi and, on extra-hot days, dot with a few ice cubes.
Tomato and Cottage Cheese Salad
In this deviation from a Caprese salad, slices of heirloom tomatoes are topped with dollops of cottage cheese and layered with red onions, olive oil and tender herbs, plus a savory spice blend inspired by everything bagels. Cottage cheese is a great blank canvas ingredient that plays well in sweet and savory applications, adding creamy richness to this tomato salad. Serve it up with grilled French bread at dinnertime or toasted bagels for a sunny summer brunch. Like most summer cooking, this dish is adaptable: Feel free to swap out the spice blend for your favorite textural alternative; try dukkah or za’atar.
Corn Ribs
For a more novel approach to corn on the cob, these corn ribs are a fun, flavorful way to eat the juicy summer staple. Shucked ears of corn are quartered, coated in a barbecue-inspired spice blend, charred on a grill and tossed in butter. As they cook, the corn ribs curl, resembling pork ribs, thus earning their name. (They’re also eaten similarly, as the cob functions similarly to the pork bone.) A fair warning: Preparing corn ribs takes patience and a very sharp knife. The cobs should be patted dry before slicing, as slippery kernels will create even more instability for the tall, teetering cobs. Reach for a large chef’s knife, if you’ve got one, and make sure it’s newly sharpened for easier (and safer) slicing. Use a rocking motion to slowly slice through the center of the cobs — and don’t rush it. Serve the corn ribs as is, or with a creamy, spicy or herby dip.
Zucchini Fritters
Mildly flavorful zucchini tends to adapt to whatever ingredients the vegetable is paired with, and here, a heap of tender herbs and lemon zest brings out the best in this summer staple. Crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, these fritters are relatively simple to assemble: grab a box grater and some other seasonal produce, including scallions and basil or dill, and heat up the skillet. You’ll need to make them in batches, but frying only takes a few minutes per side. A little baking powder in the batter provides rise for extra-fluffy fritters. Serve them as a party starter, with tzatziki as a dipper, or as a summer side to burgers or grilled salmon.